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Defense budget cuts outlined by Obama

Obama unveils his plan to roll back $1 trillion in military spending. | John Shinkle/POLITICO

Detailed spending proposals will come with the release of the administration’s budget in the next few weeks, which will be based on the $450 billion reduction in planned spending from the debt deal enacted last year. The president’s fiscal blueprint will not include a further $500 billion cut that will take effect in January 2013 and was triggered by failure of the debt-reduction supercommittee to reach agreement.

Panetta has lobbied hard against the additional reduction, which he said “would force us to shed missions and commitments and capabilities that we believe are necessary to protect core U.S. national security interests, resulting in a demoralized and hollow force.”

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Thursday’s release of the eight-page framework may quiet criticism from GOP lawmakers and presidential candidates that Obama has put budget numbers ahead of defense strategy, but not their complaint that the president is endangering national security by cutting Pentagon spending too deeply. Though Obama made clear that military spending will continue to grow even under the budget he plans to release, Republicans contend that growth is not enough to maintain a force capable of doing what the president outlined Thursday.

“This is a lead from behind strategy for a left-behind America. The president has packaged our retreat from the world in the guise of a new strategy to mask his divestment of our military and national defense,” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said. “An honest and valid strategy for national defense can’t be founded on the premise that we must do more with less, or even less with less.”

One of the key arguments has been over whether the strategy would continue to call for U.S. forces large enough to fight more than one adversary at once. Pentagon officials had hinted that this would no longer be the case, though many analysts have questioned whether the military is able to do that even now.

But Dempsey insisted, “Our strategy has always been about our ability to respond to global contingencies wherever and whenever they happen. This won’t change.”

Meanwhile, GOP candidates tying the decline in defense spending to the fall campaign’s big issue — jobs — will likely get a boost from Boeing’s announcement Wednesday that it will close a factory in Wichita, Kan., that produces military tankers, laying off more than 2,160 workers. In a statement, the company said “the site does not have enough sustainable business on the horizon to create an affordable cost structure to maintain and win new business.”

Readers' Comments (178)

Sorry guys but this is nothing but a smoke and mirror economical strategy. The cut backs in military spending is one thing but the defense budget is nothing more than a hiding place for other departments that haven't been mandated to cut, ie, NASA, Homeland, State, 1/5 of the FBIs budget, Veterans Affairs, etc. It is unfair and unconstitutional for Panetta to try and pare the defense budget in total. Military spending, yes, but not the whole encapsulated "defense budget". Someone, either the president or congress (you can't tell which anymore), has mandated a trillion dollar cut in defense and dropped it all on Panetta. SO let's get back to reality for a minute. If you subtract $100 billion from the 2012 military spending only, estimated at $800 billion or $700 billion, then add an average inflation rate of 6% to that you have $742 billion. If you do that each year for the next ten , in five years the military budget will be almost halved at $471 billion but in ten years it will be down to $32 billion. In five years health care will jump from $882 billion to $1.2 trillion, federal pensions will jump from $783 billion to $1.2 trillion (and we can't even reduce the postal service) and the kicker is executive and legislative salaries will increase from $20 billion to almost $22 billion. AND that's only the estimates until FY 2016. Try and imagine that when the president or Congress lays out a defense slashing. It would seem to me that when taking inflation into consideration, a 10% cut for every line item over ten years might be more a strategy then this shell game the public is being sold.

The Moron and Chief can't even salute properly and now this same person who couldn't even serve in the CIA or the FBI because of his part affiliations with domestic terrorists is gutting our military. Perfect.

Anyone notice. Interesting how the President is actively involved in this “budget cutting” scenario, but absent when it comes to other areas of government, that need to be cut as well. What a hypocrite!!!

So when a company that does not have any military contracts closes down a factory here and opens one in China, that is called free market capitalism. However, the minute someone touches those military jobs, that is no good. When Boeing closes down that factory in Kansas, as you free marketeers always say, there will be another opening somewhere to fill the void. Please don't tell me that Wichita does not have McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell and similar businesses. With very little training, those workers will be back at work in no time. "Let the free markets do what they do best" is what I've learned from the tea party and Republicans in general. Let it be your way. Also, what's wrong with cutting of wasteful spending? Didn't you say CUT, CUT, CUT Washington spending? FYI, the Pentagon is in Washington.

Nothing projects political power like actual boots on the ground. *THAT* is why we have Army installations all over the world. They are not there for actual defensive purposes but to project power.

Yet Owebama is going to put our defense strategy into growing the Air Force and Navy?

Why am I not surprised?

Marxist Democrats see the military as an *enemy*. The military votes *against* Marxist Democrats for the most part and, therefore, anything that limits their power and influence serves the purposes of the Marxist Democrats.

Anyone that doesn't see that the ultimate goal of the Marxist Democrats is to run this country into the ground has their head firmly planted where the sun doesn't shine.

It took more than a generation for the military to recover from the predations of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. And now we see Owebama taking the very same strategy and implementing it.

Is it any wonder that N. Korea, China, and Iran feel absolutely no trepidation about challenging us militarily?

nor-easter: "So when a company that does not have any military contracts closes down a factory here and opens one in China, that is called free market capitalism. However, the minute someone touches those military jobs, that is no good. When Boeing closes down that factory in Kansas, as you free marketeers always say, there will be another opening somewhere to fill the void."

Anyone, *ANYONE*, that did not see this coming 2 months ago when the NLRB forced Boeing to promise Washington state union workers 2,000 new jobs as a price for allowing the new plant in SC to open HAD THEIR HEAD UP THEIR BACKSIDE!!!! Those jobs had to come from somewhere -- now we see they are going to come from a right-to-work state. This should surprise NO ONE!

Politico, as usual, tries to spin this in the President’s favor, but….

First you spend all the American Taxpayers money on give-aways to people who don’t pay taxes (or pay off your cronies). Then you borrow money from China so that future generations have to pay it off, and destroy the dollar. Then you destroy jobs with regulations driven by faulty science. Then you undermine the citizen’s voting rights. Then you sign a bill in direct violation of the Constitutionfor due process. Then you destroy the military’s ability to defend us. Then you release terrorists in exchange for nothing (surrender.)

The Perfect Storm to “Fundamentally Transform America” into a Banana Republic so it can no longer challenge the Communist Regimes you love so much.

Politico, as usual, tries to spin this in the President’s favor, but….

First you spend all the American Taxpayers money on give-aways to people who don’t pay taxes (or pay off your cronies). Then you borrow money from China so that future generations have to pay it off, and destroy the dollar. Then you destroy jobs with regulations driven by faulty science. Then you undermine the citizen’s voting rights. Then you sign a bill in direct violation of the Constitutionfor due process. Then you destroy the military’s ability to defend us. Then you release terrorists in exchange for nothing (surrender.)

The Perfect Storm to “Fundamentally Transform America” into a Banana Republic so it can no longer challenge the Communist Regimes you love so much.

Notice that Republicans want to keep their massive, war-mongering and war-profiteering going having doubled the annual defense (offense really) budget to $800 billion (or where the total National Debt was when Reagan came into office. He tripled it with mostly defense spending and tax cuts). Remember that two-thirds of the total National Debt was created under just three GOP presidents: Reagan, GHW Bush and GW Bush (who doubled it yet again). Bush-Cheney alone gave us two, senseless, unfunded wars, combined at 18 years, whose projected costs exceed $5 trillion as the lifetimes of war bills and costly VA healthcare continue. They also gave us the 435-plus, GOP-approved war profiteers who have posted over $60 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse while failing in their nation-building, and another $6.6 billion in stolen Iraqi funds, all while avoiding oversight attempts by Democrats.

They also are the 911 fear profiteers which they used to give us the Patriot Act and domestic spying, warrantless wiretapping; kidnapping; illegal torture policies; secret prisons globally; farmed out torture to other countries; avoided the Constitution and US laws with Gitmo, (also built by civilian contractors); lied about the need for their wars; and exploded the National Security industry in America; created the bloated, dysfunctional Homeland Security Agency; and handed out massive needless, "anti-terrorism" pork to the states, private contractors; and enlarged the number of top-secret companies to 1,931, with 854,000 government employees, and 236,000 civilian contractors; wasted over $100 billion on their never-ending, unnecessary, unproven, Reagan-era to present SDI-spinoff anti-ballistic missile systems; $3 billion on the Boeing dysfunctional "virtual border fence," three, aircraft carriers at $5 billion each named after Ford, Reagan, GHW Bush, on and on.

While the draft-dodging, GOP chicken-hawks, who wrap themselves in the US flag under which few have served militarily, get rich feeding off the military-industrial-congressional-complex, they leave behind over 6,000 Americans killed; over 40,000 with lifetime wounds; 400,000 with PTSD expected to go to 700,000; hundreds of amputees; tens of thousands of traumatic brain injury vets; over 900 military suicides; unprecedented multiple-tours; lifetimes of costly VA healthcare; over 200,000 innocent civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq; and six million war refugees both in-country and out. Fortunately, there is indeed a God who knows all about it and Judgment Day is coming. No amount of GOP spin or burdening wealth will save them. We all get what we deserve in the end.

It's about time someone confronts the obsolete Republican leadership about defense spending. If we don't have any money to help our own people we certainly shouldn't be helping anyone else. And billion dollar fighter planes and ships are ridiculous when we already have the best equipment in the world and it's all going robotic anyway. Let's stop fighting the last war.

Seriously, though. I bet if you look into the details of this attempt to cut the budget you will find that there aren't any real cuts at all. That is not now this White House operates, and it isn't how the White House has operated for 40 years. There may be some massaging of the numbers and some shifting around from old winners to new winners, but there is no way there are going to be real cuts.

Even if this president were serious about cuts, and I don't think he is, he could never get them through doing this kind of thing.

"Marxist Democrats"- an inaccurate mix of terms designed to get an emotional, not intellectual response.

" Is it any wonder that N. Korea, China, and Iran feel absolutely no trepidation about challenging us militarily."

Tell me again when any of the three countries challenged the US militarily? I think Libya told them something, especially Iran.

Obama is doing exactly the right thing except I would retire all military and civilian (GS's) with 25 years service instead of cutting troops. No more layoffs, furloughs or firings. Send them home with a pension. Younger generals and GS's can do the job fine. Too many older generals stay around to long because they like the life.

And Obama is doing exactly the right thing; closing overseas bases, cooperating with allies instead of doing everything ourselves. We can project power through carriers, Air Force and deploying troops anywhere in the world in 24 hours.

Keeping all those old bases is a product of bureaucratic inertia, drift along even though the realities of technology, budget and world geo-politics has changed. If GW Bush had been smarter, more energetic more aware, he would have done it.

I thank whatever "force" or God there is for Barack Obama. He may get us out of the mess we're in yet, if we give him 4 more years. And we will give him 4 more years.

By the way, President Obama had nothing to do with Boeing's decision regarding their Kansas operation.

Notice that the tightee-rightees don't mention the $3 billion, Bush-Cheney Boeing "virtual border fence" that was behind schedule, overbudget, and did not work. It was cancelled, but did Boeing give back the taxpayer money? Compare that with the $.5 billion Solyndra, initially cleared under Bush-Cheney along with the ATF "walking guns" project or the $100 billion-plus, Reagan-era to present, unnecessary, unproven, SDI-spinoff, anti-ballistic missile systems. How about the $60 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse of the GOP-approved 435-plus war profiteers in Iraq and Afghanistan who also failed in their nation-building while being protected by the GOP from oversight in Congress. How about cutting the 1,931 top-secret companies that exploded under Bush-Cheney (along with private security agencies) with 854,000 government workers, 265,000 contractors costing double.

Notice that Republicans hate big government but love those big government, long-term contracts of the military-industrial-congressional complex and their "bridge-to-nowhere" GOP pork.

Republicans become "born-again deficit hawks" only when out of the White House or become concerned about the crippling National Debt, two-thirds of which was created by just three GOP presidents: Reagan, who tripled it; GHW Bush, who added to it; and GW Bush, who more than doubled it yet again and left the Obama Administration a wrecked economy, two, unfunded wars, and a $1.5 trillion budget deficit.

It is no wonder that the pathetic GOP presidential candidates do not campaign with GW Bush or "Bunker Dick" Cheney or that they are never mentioned--not in 2010 or 2012. People would recall that most of the problems America faces today were left behind by the last conservative Republican regime whose negative impact will be felt for generations.

"Marxist Democrats"- an inaccurate mix of terms designed to get an emotional, not intellectual response.

" Is it any wonder that N. Korea, China, and Iran feel absolutely no trepidation about challenging us militarily."

Tell me again when any of the three countries challenged the US militarily? I think Libya told them something, especially Iran.

Obama is doing exactly the right thing except I would retire all military and civilian (GS's) with 25 years service instead of cutting troops. No more layoffs, furloughs or firings. Send them home with a pension. Younger generals and GS's can do the job fine. Too many older generals stay around to long because they like the life.

And Obama is doing exactly the right thing; closing overseas bases, cooperating with allies instead of doing everything ourselves. We can project power through carriers, Air Force and deploying troops anywhere in the world in 24 hours.

Keeping all those old bases is a product of bureaucratic inertia, drift along even though the realities of technology, budget and world geo-politics has changed. If GW Bush had been smarter, more energetic more aware, he would have done it.

I thank whatever "force" or God there is for Barack Obama. He may get us out of the mess we're in yet, if we give him 4 more years. And we will give him 4 more years.

Sorry guys but this is nothing but a smoke and mirror economical strategy. The cut backs in military spending is one thing but the defense budget is nothing more than a hiding place for other departments that haven't been mandated to cut, ie, NASA, Homeland, State, 1/5 of the FBIs budget, Veterans Affairs, etc. It is unfair and unconstitutional for Panetta to try and pare the defense budget in total. Military spending, yes, but not the whole encapsulated "defense budget". Someone, either the president or congress (you can't tell which anymore), has mandated a trillion dollar cut in defense and dropped it all on Panetta. SO let's get back to reality for a minute. If you subtract $100 billion from the 2012 military spending only, estimated at $800 billion or $700 billion, then add an average inflation rate of 6% to that you have $742 billion. If you do that each year for the next ten , in five years the military budget will be almost halved at $471 billion but in ten years it will be down to $32 billion. In five years health care will jump from $882 billion to $1.2 trillion, federal pensions will jump from $783 billion to $1.2 trillion (and we can't even reduce the postal service) and the kicker is executive and legislative salaries will increase from $20 billion to almost $22 billion. AND that's only the estimates until FY 2016. Try and imagine that when the president or Congress lays out a defense slashing. It would seem to me that when taking inflation into consideration, a 10% cut for every line item over ten years might be more a strategy then this shell game the public is being sold.

US average inflation rate from 1914-2010 was 3.38%. US inflation rate ending the year was roughly 3.4%- where are you getting an average of 6%?